Are You Addicted to The Internet, Do You Have Someone Who Is? See How To Bail Yourself Out.

While time spent online can be hugely productive, compulsive Internet use can interfere with daily life, work, and relationships. When you feel more comfortable with your online friends than your real ones, or you can’t stop yourself from playing games or compulsively checking your smart phone, tablet, or other mobile device, even when it has negative consequences in your life, then you may be using the internet too much.

The Internet is a seductive place, especially for today’s linked-in teens who are far more likely to add graffiti to their friend’s Facebook wall than they are to actually get on their bicycle and ride over to that same friend’s house. You have to admit it would be a challenge to connect face-to-face with someone you’ve never met in person and who lives in a different time zone. Therein lies the problem. The internet is perfect for teens. Today’s social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter let them represent themselves as whomever, or whatever, they want. Everything is edited by them, chosen specifically to present the face they want the world to see. And if they decide to change that face, then they just delete some pictures, add some new friends, and voila’ – new person!

What is internet addiction or computer addiction?Internet addiction, otherwise known as computer addiction, online addiction, or internet addiction disorder (IAD), covers a variety of impulse-control problems, including:

• Cybersex addiction: Compulsive use of Internet pornography, adult chat rooms, or adult fantasy role-play sites impacting negatively on real-life intimate relationships.
• Cyber-relationship addiction: Addiction to social networking, chat rooms, texting, and messaging to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships with family and friends.
• Net compulsions: Such as compulsive online gaming, gambling, stock trading, or compulsive use of online auction sites such as eBay, often resulting in financial and job-related problems.
• Information overload: Compulsive web surfing or database searching, leading to lower work productivity and less social interaction with family and friends.
• Computer addiction: Obsessive playing of off-line computer games, such as solitaire or minesweeper, or obsessive computer programming.
  The most common of these Internet addictions are cybersex, online gambling, and cyber-relationship addiction.

Is your teen an internet addict?1. Do you feel absorbed with internet activities, longing for next sessions?

2. Do you feel satisfied with internet use if you increase the amount of time spent online?
3. Have you failed to control, reduce or give up internet use repeatedly?
4. Do you feel nervous, temperamental, depressed or sensitive when trying to reduce or give up internet use?
5. Do you stay online than originally intended?
6. Have you taken the risk of loosing a significant relationship or educational opportunities because of the internet?
7. Have you lied to your family members, therapists or others to hide the truth of your involvement with the internet?
8. Do you use the internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving an anxious mood, like, feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety and depression?

You are an internet addict if you answered yes to questions one to five and at least one of the rest questions.

Helping your teen with an internet addictionIt’s a fine line as a parent. If you severely limit your teen’s internet use, they might rebel and go to excess. But you should monitor computer and smart phone use, supervise online activity and get your child help if he or she needs it. If your child or teen is showing signs of internet addiction, there are things that you can do to help:

• Encourage other interests and social activities: Get your child out from behind the computer screen. Expose kids to other hobbies and activities, such as team sports, scouts, and after school clubs.
• Monitor computer use and set clear limits: Restrict the use of computers or tablets to a common area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child’s online activity, and limit time online. This will be most effective if you as a parent follow suit. If you can’t stay offline, chances are your child won’t either.
• Use apps to limit your child’s smart phone use: If your child has his or her own smart phone, it’s very difficult to directly monitor their time on the Internet. However, there are a number of apps available that can effectively do the monitoring for you by limiting your child’s data usage or restricting his or her texting and web browsing to certain times of the day. Most of the major carriers offer parental control apps. Other third-party apps are also available that eliminate texting and emailing capabilities.
• Talk to your child about underlying issues: Compulsive computer use can be the sign of deeper problems. Is your child having problems fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress?
• Get help: Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, doctor, or respected family friend. Don’t be afraid to seek professional counseling if you are concerned about your child. Got this from Daily Times Nigeria.